Barcelona has won the Copa del Rey, defeating their eternal rivals Real Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling final held at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville. The decisive goal, securing the cup Clasico for the Blaugrana, came in the second half of extra time from Jules Koundé in the 116th minute. The match, which was both beautiful and compelling, had ended 2-2 after the initial 90 minutes.
Pedri opened the scoring with a moment of brilliance in the first half (28th minute). In the second half, Real Madrid mounted a comeback, with Kylian Mbappé scoring from a free-kick (70th minute) followed by Aurélien Tchouaméni (77th minute) to take the lead. However, the drama continued as Ferran Torres equalized for Barcelona in the closing stages of regular time (84th minute).
VAR played a crucial role during the extra period. In the 96th minute, a penalty awarded to Real Madrid for Asensio`s challenge on Raphinha was overturned after review, and Raphinha was subsequently booked for simulation.
Looking ahead, Barcelona is set to face Inter Milan next Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. This high-stakes encounter is preceded by significant controversy surrounding refereeing. Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, appointed as the referee for the upcoming match, spoke out just hours before the final whistle of the Copa del Rey, expressing frustration over the pressure officials have reportedly faced this year, particularly from Real Madrid`s official television channel. He shared a personal story: “When a child goes to school and there are children who tell him his father is a thief and he comes home crying, it hurts. What I do is try to educate my son, tell him his father is honest, above all honest. And that he can make mistakes, like anyone else.”
These comments were not well received by Los Blancos, and it was reported that President Florentino Perez had considered boycotting the Copa del Rey final before ultimately deciding against it.